Ben Teoh, Adelaide

Getting geeky with a bit of DIY Lego wall art

Cleaning the garage is never a simple process. It’s full of forgotten treasures that try their hardest to distract you from what you went in there for in the first place. They peek out from underneath boxes, tempting you to unpack them, rediscover them and in the process make more of a mess than what you started with.

What to do when you have the urge to bring out your childhood toys but a small, human vacuum cleaner that can crawl at the speed of light means they’re probably a bad idea to have inside? You frame them and make your own Lego wall art, of course!

Inspired by an awesome birthday pressie from Chels of four Star Wars minifigs in an Ikea RIBBA frame, I’ve been thinking how else I could display my old Lego figurines that would:

be a no-glue option to avoid anything that could damage the minifigs,

have a flexible layout as I wanted depending on the number of minifigs in each display

So, let’s get to it! There are two versions using the same $12.95 Ikea RIBBA frame that you may want to try depending on the number of Lego minifigurines you want to display in your artistic endeavour. So, here we go!

Version 1: keep it simple

It’s all you need!

This first version of the Lego wall art doesn’t require any cutting or gluing pieces, it can all be done in a couple of minutes and it’s pretty cheap (under $20).

Materials:

1x Ikea RIBBA 25cm x 25cm frame ($12.95)

1x Lego 16×16 baseplate ($5.99)

up to 8 of your favourite Lego minifigurines

enough Lego 2×2 plates for your minifigs ($0.15 ea)

and masking tape or another adhesive

Steps:

Remove the back of the frame and white passe-partout (the cardboard with the square hole)

Center the baseplate on the back of the white passe-partout and secure with the tape (you’ll end up with a usable space of 14×14)

Attach the 2×2 plates to the feet of the minifigs

Insert the 2×2 plates between the rows of the baseplate to your liking (2×3 or 2×4 works well)

No-glue mounting.

All you need to do now is put it all back together and there you go, a really simple way to create your very own Lego minifigure display. But what if you want to add more? You can do away with the passe-partout and use a bigger baseplate.

Version 2: More space, you say?

Additional materials

In this second version, you can use the same frame and squeeze up to 24 of them if you discard the passe-partout. However, if you’re not keen on cutting up a baseplate to make it fit, then look the other way.

Additional material:

1x Lego 32×32 baseplate (instead of the 16×16)

1x sharp knife

and a ruler/straight edge

Steps:

Cutting the baseplate

Using the ruler and knife, carefully score the back of the baseplate to create a 28×28 baseplate (you don’t need to cut all the way through, just enough that you can bend and snap it along the cut).

Set up your minifigs to your liking (you can get up to 4×6 in there but it’ll be crowded, I went with 3×5)

To keep the baseplate from moving around, you may need to tape it to the inner frame that offsets the baseplate from the glass.

Assemble the frame and you’re good to go.

A few final tips

Well, there you have it, your super-simple Ikea RIBBA Lego minifigure display. Here are a few final pointers worth considering:

Try a mix of 2×3 and 2×2 plates to add depth or to mount larger objects.

Match the 2×2 plates to the feet of the minifigs or the baseplate for a more seamless look.

If you want to be adventurous, try the 50cm x 50cm Ribba frame and a 48×48 baseplate ( you’ll only have about 36×36 to work with though).

If you’re thinking of doing multiple frames, it may be cheaper to cut down a 32×32 or 48×48 baseplate instead of buying multiple 16×16’s.

If you’re a stickler for detail, make sure the Lego logo on the baseplates are the right way around before putting it all together.

Here are a few more photos for inspiration!

Some of my favourites from growing up.

Framed pirates

Don’t forget the droids!

Classic Space, classic colours.

Stranded!

Also, here’s a Pinterest Board of similar ideas I’ve been collecting:

Before I go, I also want to say that while I had a lot of parts from my old sets, the great staff at TOY Corner who were terrific in getting the extra parts I needed.

very great ideas. thanks a lot. i got one question. i want to use baseplates and 2×2 plates. is it possible to fix minifigures with “special” legs (example: mermaid tail) without any problems? or is it netter to use 2×3 plates?

Hi Volker! You will have to use the 2×3 piece because when you insert the plates into the baseplate, you essentially lose one row of studs. With that in mind, if you’re makong up a display with a minifig that needs a 2×3 you may want to consider making them all 2×3 or that one will stand out further from the rest.

Also, just a side note – 2×3 is as long as you can go with these frames a 4 stud plate will hit the glass.

Thanks for this, very helpful. I’ve been looking at the Ribba Lego hacks for a while, with the intent of getting the big frame, but I’ve now gone with the idea of the smaller frames and just bought one yesterday to try out. Think they’ll look better with a number of them hanging on a wall, and less busy than the big one. I’ll have to check out that shop, I was thinking I was going to have to buy online. Did they have the required plates and bricks in stock or did you need to order?

Hi Jodi. It depends on what shops you go to. The 16×16 plates are harder to find and you might be best trying a site like Bricklink. The larger 32×32 plates should be more readily available and there are a couple of new colours in those too. Have fun 😀